"Master~ I want it~"
Ivsha pleaded coquettishly with Kurose Akira, her voice syrupy and sweet, her eyes brimming with naked longing for the Succubus Candy.
"Hm?"
Akira looked at Ivsha in confusion, then down at the candy in his hand.
…Don't tell me this thing works like catnip for succubi?
He even noticed that Ivsha's peach-heart–shaped tail was swaying wildly at this moment, like branches thrashing in a gale, practically screaming for him to grant her the Succubus Candy.
"Ivsha," Akira asked curiously, "is this candy really that tempting to succubi?"
As he spoke, Akira unwrapped the candy.
Inside was a tiny pink sweet—heart-shaped.
"Mm~ Even I don't really know why," Ivsha nodded lightly and answered, "but deep down, I crave this thing… just like I crave Master's life mana~"
"..."
Akira was genuinely surprised. This might be the only thing—besides his life mana—that could so strongly attract Ivsha.
As for whether it worked on all succubi, he had no way of knowing.
"Open your mouth."
Akira said softly.
"Ah~"
Ivsha tilted her head back and obediently opened her mouth.
From this angle, Akira could clearly see inside her mouth.
It was spotlessly clean. A healthy pink tongue, pristine white teeth without a trace of plaque, only faint strands of saliva clinging between them…
Cough, cough.
He'd examined it a bit too carefully.
Akira gently dropped the heart-shaped Succubus Candy into Ivsha's mouth.
Immediately, he noticed her tongue trap the candy and roll it around. Her movements were a little clumsy—she clearly needed more practice…
Hm.
Why doesn't she close her mouth when she eats candy?
At that moment, a system prompt popped up in Akira's field of vision.
[You have provided Adventurer Ivsha with ascension material.][Ivsha's level has increased to Lv.10!][All attributes +20.][Bond Skill unlocked: Succubus's Devotion!]
[Succubus's Devotion: Your presence fills Ivsha with overwhelming joy. While you are on the battlefield, all succubus units gain +50% combat power. This effect is doubled for Ivsha herself.]
"Succubus's Devotion? A party-wide buff skill?"
Akira murmured, staring at Ivsha's newly unlocked bond skill, a flicker of shock rising in his chest.
Another on-field skill—one that only activates if he's personally present.
This game really does seem to be encouraging the guildmaster to fight on the front lines, Akira thought. Otherwise, a lot of these buffs can't even be triggered. Looks like I'll need to work on improving my own strength, too.
As his thoughts raced, a new notification appeared.
[New Trait Acquired!][Please select one of the following three traits.]Refreshing traits… Please wait…
[Likes Sweet Flavors][Yandere][Carefree]
"..."
Akira stared at the three new traits and fell into silence.
They all looked… useless.
He still had eleven trait refreshes left. Not many—but enough to gamble.
"Refresh!"
[Trait refreshed!][Astronaut][Cute][Big-Chested Moe Girl]
"…?"
"Refresh!"
[Trait refreshed!][Instant Takeoff][For the King][Orator]
"Refresh!"
[Trait refreshed!][Golden Long Hair][Idol][Flames of Desire]
"Flames of Desire?"
Akira's interest was immediately piqued by this one.
It sounded… promising.
"Let's go with you."
Taking a deep breath, Akira confirmed the selection, adding [Flames of Desire] to Ivsha.
[Flames of Desire: Desire born from the depths of the heart is the strongest driving force in the world—and the deadliest weapon. The stronger Ivsha's desire becomes, the more her magic power surges, up to a maximum of 520%. Due to the restriction of the [Unwavering Fidelity] trait, this desire can only be provided by you.]
"Up to… 520% magic power?!"
Akira's eyes went wide in disbelief.
Wasn't this completely insane? Straight-up balance destruction?
Five hundred and twenty percent!
Even if it didn't directly increase combat power, just the raw amplification to magic potency alone was enough to push Ivsha's spells into world-ending territory.
This was practically the ultimate trait for a long-range mage.
Still, he couldn't help worrying about how harsh the activation conditions might be.
Akira glanced at Ivsha's status panel, where the Flames of Desire values were clearly displayed.
[Current Desire: 50][Magic Power Bonus: 50%]
"Only 50% for now?"
Akira raised an eyebrow. What kind of situation would it take to reach the terrifying cap of 520%?
As he pondered, Ivsha gently parted the clouds.
The Succubus Candy rolled around inside her mouth, continuously stimulating the desire deep within her heart.
When she caught sight of the shimmering holy light, the heart-shaped pupils in her eyes flickered wildly.
[Ivsha's desire is rapidly increasing!]
"Huh?"
Before Akira could react, Ivsha swallowed the holy light.
As her tongue stirred, the Succubus Candy released ripples of magic, as if it were trying to completely devour the holy radiance.
"Wait—?!"
Akira immediately focused, doing everything he could to prevent the holy light from erupting.
At the same time, he saw Ivsha's desire value skyrocket—leaping straight from 50 to 120!
Hold on.
That's only 120 desire?
Then what kind of state would 520 even look like?!
"Sha~"
Ivsha gently exhaled the remaining holy light, her lips slightly parted. The pink candy rested quietly on her tongue, still faintly glowing with traces of sanctity.
"What a divine flavor~"
"And now~ it's time for the main course~"
[Ivsha's desire is rapidly increasing!]
200!
(What follows is an extremely detailed description involving desserts. For brevity, one hundred thousand words have been omitted…)
One hour later.
"Absolutely no more for now!"
Akira snatched the Succubus Candy from Ivsha's mouth, stopping her just in time.
Once Ivsha had started savoring the candy, it was as if she'd opened Pandora's box of desire—demanding endlessly, nearly draining him dry.
"Don't~"
Ivsha lightly licked her lips, a trace of lingering satisfaction still evident.
But Akira truly couldn't take any more.
He could even feel his heart flickering red, as if it might shatter with the slightest touch.
Now he finally understood—boosting magic power didn't just strengthen spells. It also amplified a succubus's allure.
The current Ivsha was several times stronger than when she'd first joined the guild.
Thank god this is just a game, Akira thought grimly. If it weren't, I'd probably already be a dried-up corpse.
And yet…
Akira stared at the candy in his hand—now completely coated in Ivsha's saliva—his brow furrowing.
The strange thing was, it hadn't melted at all.
Earlier, he'd been forced to taste it himself. The flavor was mildly sweet—nothing special. No different from an ordinary candy, and it held no particular appeal for him.
So what kind of mysterious power did this thing have, to attract a succubus like Ivsha so strongly?
Lost in thought, Akira stored the Succubus Candy back into his inventory.
There was no way he was handing this thing directly to Ivsha.
That would pose a severe threat to his physical health.
After finally recovering from Ivsha's "tender care," Akira realized he still hadn't submitted the hidden objective from the character quest.
He quickly opened the quest panel and turned it in.
[Congratulations! You have completed a hidden quest!][Quest Reward: ?][?: Claiming this reward will grant a Guild Achievement Badge!][Guild Achievement Badge: A symbol of guild strength that provides special bonuses to guild members.][Claim reward?]
"Claim!"
[Congratulations! You have obtained the Guild Achievement Badge — Silver Desire!]
[Silver Desire: All guild members gain +10 Desire, +10% Attack, +10% Defense, +10% Magic Power!]
"..."